Does EU compensation apply to flights where the departure airport closes check-in counters during protests?
- By
- Aparna Patel
- |
- 2 Aug, 2023
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passengers who are not checked in before the check-in counter closes prematurely, would be treated as no-shows
This is not legally possible. When your long-haul flight is delayed or cancelled and you arrived on time, you’re entitled to either a refund or an alternative flight + care and assistance while you wait for it. This is in addition to compensation which may not be due in extraordinary circumstances.
This situation is currently under dispute in The Netherlands.
In September 2018, Ryanair cancelled many European flights due to strikes by their pilots and cabin crew. It denied compensation to customers claiming ‘extraordinary circumstances’. Dutch Transport ministry inspectors decided not to fine Ryanair for this and that the matter is up to civil courts to decide, but Dutch civil rights group Consumentenbond is now protesting this decision.
As mentioned in the article, a civil court did rule against Ryanair and ordered it to compensate an affected customer.
Sources:
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While it may be hard to say for certain without going through the court system, “political unrest” seems to be generally considered an “extraordinary circumstance” for the purpose of EU delay compensation. For example, the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s “Am I entitled to compensation” page, under “Examples of extraordinary circumstances,” includes “political or civil unrest.” So the airline could likely make a fairly strong case that you are not entitled to compensation in this instance.
Credit:stackoverflow.com‘
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